Gift of a Lifetime: Kushina's Passing
by soprano-in-waiting
Summary: Kushina's life has ended. What happens when she meets someone she could never have guessed existed on the other side? Sidestory to Gift of a Lifetime. Oneshot/Extra


I do not own any rights in relation to the series Naruto. Maybe if I wish really, really hard I'll get it in my christmas stocking.

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><p>Kushina opened her eyes to find herself in the middle of an open clearing, a pleasant breeze blowing through her long, red hair. She closed her eye again to enjoy the caress. Until her eyelids snapped open again.<p>

"What the hell? Where the hell am I?" She exclaimed. The former container searched her surroundings, but found nothing familiar. Kushina found it odd that wherever she was, it was summer. She had put an extra blanket on before she went to sleep to ward off the winter chill that had invaded Konoha only a few hours ago.

Kushina raised herself to her feet, and found it unusually easy. Looking down, her eyes widened into saucers.

"What the _hell?_" She ran her hands over her now smooth skin. Her fingers slipped through a vibrant red lock of hair. She was young again. Viewing her surroundings once again, she saw a path leading away from her current resting spot. Curious as to where it led, she started towards it.

"I understand the draw, dear, but perhaps you should wait for your husband. It won't be long before he comes now."

Kushina whirled around to find someone she hadn't seen in over fifty years.

"Kaa-san?" She whispered, shocked into silence by the sight.

The older Uzumaki nodded, a happy smile on her face as she opened her arms for her daughter.

"I missed you so much." Kushina whispered into her shoulder, hugging her tight.

"I know, I missed you too."

Kushina lingered in the embrace for a moment longer, before her mind realized one very important thing.

"I'm dead, aren't I?"

The mother pulled away just enough to grasp her daughter's face in her hands before slowly nodding.

"I was allowed to come here to be your guide, but now I can return down the path to be with your father." She explained.

A heartbroken expression crossed her face at the thought of her mother leaving.

"Oh, don't worry dear, I have it on very good authority that you won't be alone for very long. He should be here shortly, as a matter of fact." The elder matron explained with a mischievous glimmer in her eye.

Kushina was confused.

"Who-?" She started to ask before a seam of light opened up on the opposite side of the clearing.

Out stepped a whiskered, blonde young man.

"I'll just let you two get acquainted. We'll see each other again soon." Her mother assured her with a squeeze of her hand before she left the clearing.

"Oh no! Naruto!" Kushina wailed, before she rushed over to smother her son in a hug. "What happened? Are Hinata and the children at least alright?" She questioned him while checking him over.

"Hinata? Children? What are you talking about? I've been in the shinigami's GI tract for who knows how long." Naruto replied with a confused expression on his face.

"Don't you remember anything? Your wife? Jiraiya-kun? Mai-chan? Minato-chan?" She asked, worriedly.

The puzzled look stayed a moment longer before understanding dawned on him.

"Dad, you are an idiot…" He muttered.

"Kaa-san? Did dad ever tell you what happened the night the Kyuubi was released from you?"

"Your birthday? He sealed the stupid fox inside you, didn't he? What else is there to it?" She asked, perplexed.

"Baka, baka, baka…" Naruto swore under his breath.

"Well, the thing is, I'm not exactly the Naruto you knew. I came from a different timeline where you died the night I was born. I was the one who sealed the fox into your Naruto, and saved you and dad from dying that night at the hands of Madara."He explained.

Kushina backed off a little ways. Upon closer inspection, differences began to surface between the man before her and the son she raised. The ANBU mask most noticeably, as her son had never borne the codename Fox during his short tenure in the corps.

"You mean, you're my son, just not the Naruto I knew?"

"Exactly. I changed the timeline pretty drastically with my little stunt. That's actually why Kami allowed me to come here. Apparently God's into heroics." He explained with a wry grin.

"So if you're from a different timeline, what was your life like?" She asked, curious to find out more about her new son.

"Well, it all starts with Madara…" He started to explain. The tale took many hours and was halted when Naruto reached the portion concerning his training in the month before the finals of the chuunin exams.

"JIRAIYA DID _WHAT?_ I'm going to murder him with a dull spork and a paper clip!" She raged before Naruto grabbed her arm, preventing her from following the path.

"Hang on a second; don't you want to wait for Dad? That is why we're left here after all." Naruto calmly reasoned.

"Do you know when he'll be here?" She rounded on him, eager to get her hunt under way.

"I'm not sure…"

"I see. When he does get here, Jiraiya better be ready." She eyed the shadowed walkway, eyes narrowed, as if already tracking her prey in the world beyond.

'_Oops…sorry Ero-sennin_…' Naruto apologized, as he waited for the time to come to meet his father for the third time.

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><p>AN: Yeah, I'm not entirely happy with how this turned out. It's similar to how Minato's was in GoaL, but hey, it's done. The bug got in my brain about this particular meeting because of S-Wanderer999. They reviewed asking if Minato had ever told Kushina what happened.

Dedicated to: Tora-Hime-Melody, Mokimo, and Spiffy, for putting up with numerous hours of random Naruto musings and rants, lol.

Also dedicated to S-Wanderer999, for kicking my brain into gear, since I couldn't sleep until this was typed up the night I got the review.

Standard request: Please leave comments, criticism, what you liked, what you hated, but please, if you do leave negative criticism, give some advice on how to fix what you think needs help. It does no good to throw someone into a pit unless you can throw them a rope to help them get back out.

Anyways, enough talking. Adios muchachos, Suenios Dulces :)


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